for you
by melmel12129
Summary: I'll bring him back...for you. /sasunaru friendship


**Warning: When I say 'He' most of the time, I'm referring to the person who's point of view this is from, so if you can't tell who the 'he' is it's most likely the narrator. Thanks**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narut****o**

**This is a SasuNaru friendship oneshot, and it does not contain yaoi or romance.**

**Enjoy**

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He first glanced at Sakura.

Her pale viridian eyes seemed sunken and unseeing, her gaze distant and broken, as if looking for something on the horizon that didn't exist – her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

Her short, newly cut hair was in disarray, and her complexion was sickly. That bastard had the nerve to leave her lying on a bench for the whole night.

Next, he looked at Kakashi-sensei.

His usually slumped posture was straight, but he kept his head down, and the little orange book stayed in the pouch like _it was supposed to _except Kakashi had never really been one for the rules, had he? Not until now, he hadn't.

The sound of crying reached his ears, and he picked up a salty scent on the wind, from behind him.

Ino.

She was collapsed on the ground, sobbing, wailing, and crying – _so totally convinced that she was irrevocably in love with a boy that had never even acknowledged her presence_ – but Shikamaru lent a supporting shoulder to her, and she shakily stood up, her blond hair astray.

Finally, he glanced at the villagers around him – the same villagers that had tormented him for so long – and all he could see was mourning for a person that was not that much better than him. _What made it so that he was worse?_

He'd never had a family, never had enough money to buy good food – _why did they hurt him?_ But he was never one to hold grudges – and he realized that while the general atmosphere of the village was sad, there was also now wariness and distrust.

People hurried around, eager to return to their homes, as if a simple wooden structure were any safeguard over the destruction a simple jutsu could make.

How could one teme cause this much – he didn't know how to word it – destruction?

One decision and everyone was reduced to this. Yes or no…that was all. And yet, that piece of trash had decided to abandon his friends for power.

He'd started hating that boy from the first day of the Academy. Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke had done nothing but immediately every single person had been drawn to him, especially the girls.

He realized what feeling he had towards Sasuke. It was jealousy. He just didn't want to admit. What indeed did Sasuke have that he didn't? Was it just the looks? Were some people so shallow that they made friends based on looks?

He'd pranked, pretended to always be dead last…he'd done everything to make people look at him. But the glances were always short-lived and full of malice. '_Is it my fault?_' he'd asked countless times, but no one responded…no one wanted to talk to him. They didn't know how much his heart hurt when he watched the other kids with their parents and all he could do was sit on the swings…

His whole life was trying to get attention and watching other kids do better than him and sneer at him.

The parents weren't much better, teaching their kids to stay away and giving subtle looks of hatred when they thought he wasn't looking…

But he always, always felt them, following him wherever he went.

When looks failed to convey the amount of dislike they felt for him, the adults used violence. Getting beaten up then sitting at home with a cup of gross expired milk and no ramen…how would they feel, then?

No one ever thought about how he felt.

It was always Sasuke, Sasuke, and Sasuke. Oh, poor Sasuke, I hear his family was massacred. Well, guess what? He'd never had a family to begin with!

Sasuke's good at everything. So what? Sasuke had a family to help him when he was little. But him, he'd come home to an empty apartment, messy and dirty, too tired to train, too hurt with bruises.

What was he missing?

In his heart, he knew that he desperately wished for Sasuke back, just because they did have a grudging friendship and intense rivalry – but most importantly –

For his team, for his pride, and for the village. He'd do it for Sakura, for Ino, for Kakashi, for the villagers that hated him but he couldn't hate.

"SASUKE, YOU BASTARD! I'LL BRING YOU BACK SOMEDAY, DATTEBAYO! IT'S A PROMISE!" he yelled, bangs shadowing his eyes, one fist in the air. "For you, Sakura…" he whispered, and Sakura gave no sign that she had heard at all.

His face convulsed violently and he blinked several times to hold back tears. His bottom lip shook and trembled, until he couldn't hold it any longer.

"Sasuke…why am I crying over a teme like you?" he asked himself, tears pouring down his face.

Kakashi moved over to put a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto…stay strong…and keep your promise."

Naruto nodded through the tears, and said, "Even if it will take a lifetime, I will keep it."

He looked at Sakura, then at Ino, then at Kakashi.

'_I will bring him back…for you.'_

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_fin_

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**NOTE: There will most likely be further editing in the future for this fic. **


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